VC-8
Redtails
The Squadron Duty Officer
(SDO), is the unit's contact point. They maintain unit rosters, help
old friends link up, coordinate with unit reunions, and gather unit
information. The
SDO List.
The Association is particularly interested in your Skyhawk related
information and photos, but will gladly accept information about all
eras of the unit. e-Mail the Association Webmaster.
AND we welcome "anyone with an interest" in the Skyhawk to JOIN The Skyhawk Association.
Patch
- First patch is of a WWII unit, and not affiliated
with the Redtails.
- Second (GMS-2), third, fourth patches are from Scott
"Scooter" Siedschlag
- Fifth patch = 1965, courtesy of VC-8
- Sixth patch = 1998 from Captain Steve Kornatz, former
Redtail CO.
- The Redtails wore this Skyhawk Patch
below their Redtails Patch.
- Back to Table of Contents
Handle
Heritage
- JUL 1958:
Guided Missile Service Squadron TWO established at Naval Air Station
Chincoteague, Virginia.
- JAN 1959:
Guided Missile Service Squadron TWO was transferred to Naval Station
Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.
- 1960:
Guided Missile Service Squadron TWO was re-designated Fleet Utility
Squadron EIGHT (VU-8) at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.
- 1965:
Fleet Utility Squadron EIGHT (VU-8) was re-designated Fleet Composite
Squadron EIGHT (VC-8) at Naval Air Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto
Rico.
- Back to Table of Contents
Home Ports
- JUL 1958: Guided Missile Service Squadron TWO was
based at Naval Air Station Chincoteague, Virginia.
- JAN 1959: Guided Missile Service Squadron TWO was
transferred to Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.
- 1965: Fleet Utility Squadron EIGHT (VU-8) was
re-designated Fleet Composite Squadron EIGHT (VC-8) at Naval Air
Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.
- 2001 to MAY 2003: Fleet Composite Squadron EIGHT
(VC-8) was based at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.
- Back to Table of Contents
Air Wings
Deployments
Aircraft
Commanding Officers
- JUL 1958: - - - - - - - - - - CDR H.J
Silbertstein
(GMSRON-2)
- JUL 1959 to FEB 1960: - - - - CDR J.E. Braun
- FEB 1960 to JUL 1960: - - - - CDR S.N. May
- JUL 1960 to FEB 1961: - - - - CDR S.N. May (VU-8)
- FEB 1961 to FEB 1962: - - - - CDR W.G. Andrews
- FEB 1962 to FEB 1963: - - - - CDR D.A. Kribs
- FEB 1963 to JAN 1964: - - - - CDR T.J. Cross
- JAN 1964 to APR 1965: - - - - CDR T.D. Fosdick
- APR 1965 to JUL 1965: - - - - CDR J.R. Geer
- JUL 1965 to FEB 1966: - - - - CDR J.R. Geer (VC-8)
- FEB 1966 to APR 1967: - - - - CDR J.H. Foxgrover
- APR 1967 to JUL 1968: - - - - CDR M.E. Smith
- JUL 1968 to MAY 1969: - - - - CDR D.E. Lashbrook
- MAY 1969 to MAY 1970: - - - - CDR M.L. Johnson
- MAY 1970 to MAY 1971: - - - - CDR R.E. Zapalc
- MAY 1971 to MAY 1972: - - - - CDR R.C. Nicholson
- 1976 to 1977: - - - - - - - - CDR Keith Boatwright
- 1977 to 1978: - - - - - - - - CDR Chamberland
- 1978 to 1979: - - - - - - - - CDR Dan Duda
- 1979 to 1980: - - - - - - - - CDR Scripick (sp?)
- 01 JAN 1998 to 21 AUG 1998: - CDR J. G. Speer
- 21 AUG 1998 - - - - - - - - - CDR S.D. Kornatz
- MAR 2000: - - - - - - - - - - CDR
B.
Steele
- MAR 2001: - - - - - - - - - - CDR
V.
Drouillard
- 13 JUL 2002 - - - - - - - - - CDR
Thomas McDonough
- Back to Table of Contents
Events
- JUL 1958:
Guided Missile Service Squadron TWO established at Naval Air Station
Chincoteague, Virginia.
- JAN 1959:
Guided Missile Service Squadron TWO was transferred to Naval Station
Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.
- 1960:
Guided Missile Service Squadron TWO was re-designated Fleet Utility
Squadron EIGHT (VU-8) at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.
- 1965:
Fleet Utility Squadron EIGHT (VU-8) was re-designated Fleet Composite
Squadron EIGHT (VC-8) at Naval Air Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto
Rico.
- 1977 to 1980: The rest of the Story
Don't know if this information is going anywhere but, just in case, I'd
like to tell some of the rest of the story that is missing ...
I am a former "RedTail" Helo pilot from VC-8 and flew from @ 1977 to
1980 before I transferred to HC-1 Det 6 in Japan, VC-8 was my first
duty station out of Flight School after completing the HS-1 RAG. Some
of the jobs I held were 1st Lt, Airframes/Corrosion Control Branch
Officer, Assistant Admin Officer, EEO/HRO/DAPA as well as being a SH-3
Aircraft Commander, Maintenance Test and Instructor/Instrument
Instructor Pilot. I was the DV pilot for all visiting dignitaries - for
some reason too.
Many of us bachelors, in those days, lived on the hill below the BOQ in
the old pre-WWII Army housing/condos or over on "Dental Hill". "Rainbow
Hills" housing was fairly new and later the NEX Commissary moved from
the Mariposa site near the base gym and theater to the hill/site above
"Rainbow Hills".
The Squadron Logo/Patch that is shown on the bottom row, middle one, on
this site is the one I designed and submitted for the Command to the
CNO for approval, which we got. At the time I was the Squadron's
Assistant Admin Officer. Somewhere in my stuff, if it wasn't lost in my
many moves, I still have the original drawing that I kept. I also was
TAD'd to the Station Public Works Dept, under CDR Poole at that time,
as the air station architect to design the Enlisted Club/Disco (in
those days) across the road from the barracks in a former bowling alley
in my off hours when not flying. I also did the design for classroom
additions to the Base Chapel but funding never was available while
there and so don't know if it was ever done.
Also, I noticed that the CO's during my tour of duty are missing:
- CDR Keith Boatwright ('76-'77),
- CDR Chamberland ('77-'78),
- CDR Dan Duda ('78-'79)
- CDR Scripick (sp?) ('79-'80)
- ADM Flannagan was the COMNAVFORCARIBE during much
of that time.
In addition the A-4 Skyhawk and P-2V Neptune, we also had and flew the
SH-3G in support of the AFWTF (Atlantic Fleet Weapons Testing Facility)
Range/Target Retrieval, Flight Testing, SAR, Logistics flights of
personnel and equipment to all the islands including St Thomas, St
Croix, Culebra, Vieques and ships on the range and flew numerous
special Secret/Top Secret classified CNO Ops. We had six SH-3G's.
I also still have several of the Squadron Plaques.
Many of the pilots I can still name too.
- LCDR Marty Merrick
- LCDR Bill O'toole
- LT Marty Fox
- LT Steve Carey
- LT Tom Rose
- LT Mark Taylor
- LT Bob Herbert
- LT Keith Olson
- LT Doug Moret
- LT John Weis
- LT Richard Wiess
- LT Dick Graham
- LT Larry Graves and so many more.
We also had a female helo pilot - Milady "Bunny" Blaha - yep her real
name was Milady and a graduate Texas A & M. Some of the pilots
I have seen over the years at other duty stations or on TV during
Desert Storm being interviewed but many have disappeared. Doug and John
followed me to Japan and the USS Midway and Larry became the #1
Aerospatiale Corporate Pilot. Dick Graham went on to get 2 "Atta Boys"
in Approach Mag after safely flying his damaged RF-8 Crusaders back to
NAS Whidbey Island, Wa. Richard Weis is still at Whidbey Island,
retired, and active with the Navy flying Club I'm told, Two of ours
were killed in a helo crash off of St Croix after I left the squadron @
1980; LT's Wayne Walsman and Dean Price. A total of 13 died in that
crash - all friends. I read about it in the Stars and Stripes while on
my first cruise with my new squadron while on liberty in Hong Kong.
From: Dennis "Phantom" Fandey
- Circa 1990:
VC-8 spelled out by the
squadron members.
- 1997:
The VC-8 Redtails were assigned the Fleet Adversary mission. The
Redtails send adversary detachments to Naval Air Stations to train
local units. Some of the bases the Redhawks deploy to: Naval Air
Station Oceana, Naval Air Station Key West, Naval Air Station Fallon,
and Naval Air Station Pensacola.
- JUN 2000:
The Redtail Fleet Replacement Detachment Training Facility better known
as the Skyhawk Training Facility became fully operational. Training
equipment such as wall-sized training panels, as well as other training
aids and a flight simulator was brought from VT-7 at Naval Air Station
Meridian, Mississippi.
- 2001:
The Redhawk scooters are painted camouflage, mimicking potential
adversary aircraft. Three Skyhawks painted desert brown camouflage and
the remaining four Skyhawks painted sky blue camouflage. All VC-8
Skyhawks will be painted in the sky blue camouflage.
- 13 JUL 2002:
Change of Command occurred with CDR
Thomas McDonough USN taking command of the Redtails.
XO is CDR John Cosmos Peter
Fristachi USN.
- 03 MAY 2003:
Last USN active duty Skyhawks are retired!
Last A-4 pilots
of active duty Skyhawks.
The "Redtails" of Composite Squadron Eight (VC-8) were the last U.S.
Navy active duty unit to operate the Skyhawk on a
regular basis.
Flying the TA-4J out of Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico,
equipped with special electronics gear, VC-8 Skyhawks
provided utility missions in support of fleet operations, close air
support training for Marine, Army, and Special Force units, and
operated in an adversary role in support of the Tomcat
and Hornet RAGs and fleet unit training.
The VC-8 TA-4Js were retired from active service in May 2003.
The active duty life of the venerable Skyhawk in
U.S. Navy fleet service began in late September 1956 and spanned more
that 47½ years.
Check out the
"The First and Last of it".
- 23 AUG 2003:
VC-8 Disestablished,
and the last active Skyhawks are honored, at NAS Oceana
Navy News: Last VC-8 Commanding Officer and
Disestablishment Pennant
- Back to Table of Contents
Awards
- HUM
- AUG through NOV 1979
- 15 SEP through 31 OCt 1995
- SOS
- 15 JAN 1993 through 28 NOV 1994
- AFEM
- 16 SEP 1994 through 29 OCT 1994
- Meritorious Unit Commendation
- 02 AUG 90 through 18 MAR 91
- 17 OCT 93 through 25 OCT 94
- 23 JAN 96 through 5 SEP 98
- Bronze Hammer Special
- SECNAV Energy Conservation
- Admiral's Cup
- The Golden Anchor
- Operational Readiness Command Battle
- 1993
- 1994
- 1995
- 1996
- 1997
- 1998
- U. S. Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation
- 15 JAN 1993 -- 28 NOV 1994
- 15 AUG -- 31 DEC 1996
- Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety
- Safety Achievement
- 1997:
VC-8 had accumulated 12 years and over 109,000 hours of mishap-free
flying
- Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation
- Captain's Cup
- Back to Table of
Contents
Sources
- LTJG Jared Allen, VC-8 PAO
- Harry S. Gann
- Frank J. Mirande
- LTJG Tariq Rashid
- John Tyner
- LT Scott "Buster" Armstrong, VC-8 PAO
- Captain Steve Kornatz, former Redtail CO.
- Wynn "Captain Hook" Foster
- Scott "Scooter" Siedschlag
- Dennis "Phantom" Fandey
VC-8 Flight Suit patch from Scott Siedschlag
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